Headlines

Will Employers Gain Influence in Rating the Quality of a College Degree?(Washington Post, July 8, 2016) “While there is widespread agreement among college officials and policymakers that the current accreditation system is broken, [there] is less consensus on what should replace it. While that debate rages on, a group that is the largest consumer of college graduates is increasingly taking on a greater role in quality control: employers.”

Hillary Clinton Tacks to the Left on Higher Education (Forbes, July 7, 2016) “It is not clear to me that the federal government has a compelling interest in zeroing out tuition at state institutions for families that are able to shoulder some of the cost. States and public colleges should also be concerned about the significant strings that the feds will undoubtedly attach to those subsidies.”

ED Issues Sweeping Proposed Rules on Borrower Defense(Cooley Client Alert, June 23, 2016) “ED has also reached into the existing financial responsibility regulations to describe at least 10 new ‘early warning’ triggers that would allow ED to require institutions to post a letter of credit (‘LOC’) with the Department to demonstrate their financial stability and, importantly, assure ED of their ability to pay [Borrower Defense to Repayment] claims if needed. The proposed triggering events include, among others ... accrediting agency actions – if the institution or any of its locations is required to submit a teach-out plan or is placed on probation or issued a show-cause in the three prior award years, regardless of the cause.”

Peer Criticises Government on Private Providers After QAA Report (Times Higher Education, July 11, 2016) “Fresh questions have been raised about the government’s ability to ensure oversight of private colleges as a for-profit institution was stripped of its right to receive public funding after a damning quality watchdog report.”